The Beirut Guide to Yoga

It’s easy to get stressed out in life, what with your job draining your energy on a weekly basis, your significant other demanding more of your time and effort; that, and the socio-political climate of our region. Each person has their own way of relieving stress, but among the most popular is yoga, for its physical and mental benefits and relaxing effects.

If you’re looking to chill out and get into this ancient art, here is a selection of yoga studios in Beirut where you may find inner peace.

Danielle Abisaab’s Union Square Yoga offers a variety of fun and beneficial yoga classes such as the Pop and Rock Vinyasa class every Monday and Thursday, which will have you moving to upbeat music, the introspective Morning Ascent class on Wednesdays or the one-of-a-kind high-flying Aerial Kick aerial yoga class on Tuesday. Make sure to register beforehand, free of charge.

There’s something for everyone at NOK Yoga Shala, from the Prenatal Yoga class every Wednesday which aims to meet the needs of pregnant women, the contemplative Raja Yoga Meditation Course every Tuesday or the Creative Movement in Yoga for Kids class which introduces the little ones to the joys of yoga and physical exercise. All you have to do is register prior, no fees needed.

The Houna Holistic Center is a place of health and well-being which offers plenty of fun activities, among them yoga classes of various styles. Yoga classes offered included a Vinyasa yoga class every Monday, a Sivananda yoga class every Tuesday and Thursday, with a more intermediate one on Saturdays, and a Hatha yoga class on Fridays, with a more basic class on Sundays. You may drop in for a session for a fee of 20,000 LL, or sign up for 4 classes per month for 60,000 LL, 8 classes for 100,000 LL or 12 classes for 135,000 LL.

Make a physical journey to the Beirut Sivananda Yoga Center to embark on a spiritual one. The center offers various classes such as the Hatha yoga classes, beginner classes every weekday except Monday, which is when the intermediate class takes place, as well as Yoga for Kids on Tuesdays and Meditation class also every Tuesday. All classes are for a 20,000 LL fee, except for the three Tuesday classes, Meditation class, Hatha yoga class and Yoga for Kids, which are for 15,000 LL each.

Perhaps you’d care to venture into the Shiva-Lila Yoga Space, which offers yoga classes mainly centered around the Vinyasa style. Classes include the Beginners Vinyasa Flow class every Monday and Thursday, the Intermediate Vinyasa Flow class every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, and the Ashtanga Flow class every Saturday. Each class has a 25,000 LL registration fee, but you may also sign up for 5 classes for 90,000 LL or 10 classes for 150,000 LL.

The Exhale gym offers the unique Bikram Yoga class every Monday and Thursday. It is a relatively new style of yoga that involves 26 Hatha Yoga poses, each putting you through a series of deep stretches that address different areas of your body. In accordance with Bikram yoga training, the classroom is heated to around 40ºC. You may sign up for a single pass for 30,000 LL, or book multiple sessions from five for 127,500 LL to 50 for 900,000 LL.

The Trainstation gym offers two yoga classes, the relaxing and meditative Hatha Yoga class every Wednesday and Saturday, and the more fast-paced and energetic Travel Yoga class which is a fusion of yoga and other exercise techniques such as Pilates, ever Monday and Tuesday. You may attend a session for a fee of 30,000 LL or sign up for a package ranging from four sessions for 115,500 LL to 12 sessions for 277,500 LL.

Yoga teacher Catherine Chidiac also offers some yoga classes in her Ashrafieh studio. Classes include Power Yoga, a vigorous, fitness-based Vinyasa style yoga, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as the Prenatal Yoga class, catered to pregnant women, every Monday and Wednesday. You may attend a class for a 20,000 LL fee, or sign up for a 10 class package for 180,000 LL.